What will the future bring?

WHAT ABOUT THE FUTURE

I don't know about you, but I sometimes get concerned about the future. I
don't know if I actually worry about it, but sometimes it is close to that.
I am concerned about the state of our world; I am concerned about the
financial condition of our country; I am concerned about what the government
will or won't do to the stability of our country; I am concerned about what
kind of world our children and grandchildren will have to live in; I am
concerned with how things will turn out in our lives as we grow older.

Again, I am concerned, but don't worry about it. Every day, just as perhaps
you do, I strive to turn my future over to God. Sometimes I successful,
sometimes I'm not.

I recently read a quote from Corrie Ten Boom that said, "Never be afraid to
trust the future you don't know, to a God you do know". I don't know about
you, but from time to time I need to be reminded of that fact! Don't most of
the issues in our lives have a direct relationship to our reliance upon God
or our relationship to him? Who is it we turn to in times of trouble, is it
our friends and family, our co-workers, or do we first think of God. Your
answer to that question may explain your success or failure in some of your
struggles.

I am endeavoring every day to rely more upon God regarding my future.
Shouldn't we really be able to trust the future to our God we know? In the
scripture we read: "God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I
forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5) So, if we know this promise and know the one
who made the promise, how can we not trust our future to his hands? David
said of God in Psalm 31:15, "My future is in Your hands".

We have read the words, we know the promise; we know the one who made the
promise, now it is time for us to live like we believe the promise. Stop
worrying about that which you can't change or can't direct yourself and turn
it over to God.

Russ Lawson

What does curmudgeon mean?

THE BLOOD MOON AND THE CURMUDGEON

Last night we had a total Lunar eclipse which is a wonderful event to
behold, however in our area it was visible at 4 O'clock in the morning.
There has been some discussion about the event being "a sign from God,"
which I think shows a great lack of understanding for biblical prophecy and
events. So, No I definitely don't think it was a sign from God, other that
to show how wonderful the universe he created works.

Now my wife is into those kinds of events and enjoys them more that I. She
talked about getting up to watch the Lunar Eclipse and I told her, "Well,
don't wake me; I'm going to be a bit of a Curmudgeon about it."

Now the dictionary defines "Curmudgeon," as a person (especially an old man)
who is easily annoyed, sometimes easily angered and who often complains or
grumbles." I don't know if I fit into all of those areas of description, but
if you wake me up at 4 A.M. I do tend to be a bit annoyed and grumble about
it. The funny thing is; that I'm often up at 4 A.M. working in my office,
but if I happen to be asleep I like to stay that way.

As things would happen, I woke up at 3:50 A.M. and thought seriously about
trying to go back to sleep. I know that once I wake up, it is very difficult
for me to shut down my brain and go back to sleep. However, I also thought
about how happy seeing these events makes my wife of 47 years (who just
happened to be sound asleep). I thought you have a choice; you can be a
curmudgeon or be a blessing to her. So, as gently as I could, woke her up
and asked if she would like to go out and look at the moon with me.

We pulled on some warm clothes and went out and stood in our front yard
watching the moon and as we watched we saw a shooting star flash across the
sky in front of the moon (another one of her favorite things). We watched
for a few minutes and went in, hugged and kissed and she went to bed and I
went to my office.

OK, what's my point? It is that we have a choice in how we act and how we
relate to other people. After 47 years we still do the things Newly Weds do.
We hold hands, hug and kiss often, fix one another's tea and coffee, massage
sore muscles, go shopping for cloths together and in general do the things
that love demands. even getting up at 4 O'clock in the morning to watch the
moon.

Notice this interesting modern translation of 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, "Love is
never tired of waiting; love is kind; love has no envy; love has no high
opinion of itself, love has no pride; Love's ways are ever fair, it takes no
thought for itself; it is not quickly made angry, it takes no account of
evil; It takes no pleasure in wrongdoing, but has joy in what is true; Love
has the power of undergoing all things, having faith in all things, hoping
all things." (BBE)

How about you, have you been a bit of a curmudgeon lately? Maybe it's time
to turn things around and remember what love is all about.

Russ Lawson

Football was never my gift - Jesus was

"From the Ash"

David Ash has loved to play football since he was a child.

Mike Finger reports: "Outside the 15th Street Church of Christ in Temple,
there's a bush where he used to begin his Sunday mornings by hiding a
football. As soon as the service ended, Ash would tear off his church
clothes - he usually had planned ahead and wore his play clothes underneath
- and headed straight for the ball."

"It was a lot faster to get it out of the bush than to ask my dad for the
keys to the car," Ash said. "So I had the maximum amount of time to play
with it."

That love for football - and a lot of talent to go with it - helped David
Ash achieve what many young football players could only dream about: he
became the quarterback for the University of Texas Longhorns.

But last September, he suffered his first concussion in a game against BYU.
Then, two weeks later, he suffered more concussion symptoms in a game
against Kansas State. He sought to work through these issues, but after the
first game of this season against North Texas, he suffered dizziness and
headaches for seven days.

His doctors suggested that he may have to consider giving up football. And
as painful as it was, David Ash made the decision to end his football
career. He announced his decision in a news conference this past Monday. He
said that although it was not an easy decision, he was "at peace" with it.
He had no regrets in his career at UT in which he started 22 games and
passed for 4,728 yards. "I wouldn't change any of it," Ash said.

Now listen to this young man who has had to give up one of his dreams,
something that he has loved since he was a child. "I'm not a victim, I'm a
victor," he said on Monday. "Football was never my gift - Jesus was!" *

He's right. Of all the talents, blessings, and "gifts" that come from God
(James 1:17), the greatest Gift of all is the gift of His Son Jesus, who
died on the cross for our sins (John 3:16; Ephesians 1:7).

Without Jesus, we would ALL be lost in our sins and headed to eternal
destruction (Matthew 7:13-14). Yet, because God loves us so much that He
gave His Son to die on the cross for our sins, we can have forgiveness and
receive the gift of eternal life (Romans 6:23).

We must accept God's Gift on His terms by placing our faith and trust in
Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turning from sin in repentance (Acts 17:30-31),
confessing Him before men (Romans 10:9-10), and being baptized into Christ
for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:38). Then, as we continue to walk in
the light of His Word, the blood of Jesus continues to cleanse us from all
our sins (1 John 1:7).

From the "ashes" of his outstanding football career, David Ash understands
that the greatest Gift is Jesus.

"Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" - 2 Corinthians 9:15

Won't YOU acknowledge that great truth by submitting your life in trusting
obedience to the One who died for you so that you might live?

David A. Sargent

6 Woes from Isaiah 5

1. Value property more than God (vs. 8,9)
2. Live for partying and drinking (vs. 11,12)
3. Scoff at the sin and judgment (vs. 18,19)
4. Call evil good, good evil (vs. 20)
5. Are wise in their own eyes (vs. 21)
6. Think they are so strong that wickedness is no threat (vs. 22)

 

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Ebola virus disease

"Life-giving Blood"

The World Health Organization reports that Ebola virus disease (EVD) is a
severe, often fatal illness in humans. The WHO states that the virus is
transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population
through human-to-human transmission. Although great precautionary measures
are used, we've witnessed recently how some doctors and caregivers working
in West Africa have contracted the virus. The most recent case of an
American aid worker catching the virus is Dr. Rick Sacra.

Sacra, 51, has been treating patients on and off in Liberia for 15 years.
In August, he went back to Monrovia, the national capital of Liberia, to
help deliver babies. While there, somehow he contracted the Ebola virus.

On Friday, September 5, Sacra was flown to Omaha, Nebraska in a special
medevac plane. He has been given two experimental treatments, one of which
consisted of blood plasma from another American aid worker, Dr. Kent
Brantly, who caught Ebola in Liberia but has recently recovered.

Michaeleen Doucleff reports, "Brantly was treated for Ebola at a hospital in
Atlanta back in August. Doctors gave him and his co-worker, Nancy Writebol,
the experimental drug ZMapp. Both of them recovered from Ebola. But it
still isn't known [for certain] whether ZMapp helped them... The idea is
that Brantly's blood contains Ebola antibodies, which could help Sacra's
immune system fight off the virus."

Isn't it wonderful? A physician gave some of his blood to help save the
life of another physician.

Now consider... SIN is deadly (Romans 6:23), and we "all have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Unless a remedy is supplied,
it will lead to eternal destruction (Matthew 7:13-14).

A Remedy has been offered and is available to all who will accept it. There
is another physician - the Great Physician, Jesus - who gave His life and
His blood to save US from sin. "In Him we have redemption through His
blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace"
(Ephesians 1:7).

The blood of Jesus will cleanse and give eternal life to those who place
their faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from sin in repentance
(Acts 17:30-31), confess Him before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized
(immersed) into Christ (Acts 2:38). The blood of Jesus will continue to
cleanse those who continue to walk in the light of His Word (1 John 1:7).

The Great Physician gave up His life-giving blood to save us from the fatal
"disease" of sin. Through His blood, we are cleansed. Through His blood,
we have eternal life.

Won't YOU be washed in the cleansing blood of Jesus by trusting and obeying
Him?

David A. Sargent

What modern American life is really like

What A Wonderful World
by Tom Wacaster

Since the mid 1920's our nation has been fed a steady diet of humanism, evolution, and atheism. Every attempt has been made to get Jehovah God "out" of the picture, and put man at the center, and science as the all-knowing, all-seeing, all-powerful "god" that instructs, enlightens, and informs. The particular point of focus in the battle for the minds of men has been our educational system. For the past sixty years the liberal, humanistic, anti-God haters have dominated the class rooms of our public education system. Consequently we are witnessing the collapse of moral integrity and Biblical ethics that were the mainstay of our society for the previous 200 years. The battle has been waged in the class room as both sides of our present cultural war have sought to get the upper hand and capture the minds of our youth. There are signs, however, that the pendulum is beginning to swing back toward center. From one end of our nation to the other, states are taking a closer look at "intelligent design" as a plausible explanation of the origin of our universe and man. Some States now require that evolution be taught as a "theory" and not scientific fact. Others, such as Kansas, have introduced "intelligent design" into the classrooms of their public schools. Of course the media, along with liberal organizations such as the PTA and NEA, are refusing to go down without a fight. When one watches the main stream media it is rather astonishing that those being interviewed are extremely biased toward anything that has any religious overtones to it, in spite of the fact that evidence abounds for intelligent design and against evolution. I am fully aware that the politically correct notion is that "anybody who has any intelligence at all" knows that evolution is a fact, and Genesis 1 is nothing more than "myth." But for just a moment, let's forget about being "politically correct," and lets put on our thinking caps and consider the evidence that points to design as the only logical explanation for this world, the universe, and mankind. Physicist Paul Davies, in his book God And The New Physics, observed: "It is hard to resist the impression that the present structure of the universe, apparently so sensitive to minor alterations in numbers, has been rather carefully thought out.The seemingly miraculous concurrence of these numerical values must remain the most compelling evidence for cosmic design." Even the most hardened of atheists (such as the late Carl Sagan) have admitted that the conditions on our planet are "just right" to sustain life. It is an undeniable fact that the balance of the fundamental laws of physics are such that our universe appears to have been "fine tuned" in order to provide a place for life to exist as we know it. So much so, in fact, that one noted scientist observed that "it appears as if this world was actually created in order to prepare a place for man to dwell." Lee Strobel likens it to the following:

"I like to use the analogy of astronauts landing on Mars and finding an enclosed biosphere, sort of like the domed structure that was built in Arizona a few years ago. At the control panel they find that all the dials for its environment are set just right for life. The oxygen ratio is perfect; the temperature is seventy degrees; the humidity is fifty percent; there's a system for replenishing the air; there are systems for producing food, generating energy, and disposing of wastes. Each dial has a huge range of possible settings, and you can see if you were to adjust one or more of them just a little bit, the environment would go out of whack and life would be impossible. What conclusion would you draw from that?"

While science has, to a large degree, been dominated by non-believers, we are seeing a new generation of scientists who are taking a closer look at the evidence. Over the past three decades scientists have discovered that just about everything about the basic structure of our universe is balanced on what one has called, "a razor's edge for life to exist." Noted atheist turned believer, Fred Hoyle admitted, "Someone has been monkeying with the physics." The gravity or our world, the location of the earth in relation to the sun, the moon and other planets, and even the eco-system of this world in which we live all "scream" that some intelligent mind was behind it all. Let's borrow one example from Lee Strobel's book, The Case For A Creator:

The [cosmological] constant, which is a part of Einstein's equation for General Relativity, could have any value, positive or negative.[A]stronomical observations show that the cosmological constant is quite small, very much smaller than would have been guessed from first principles.The fine tuning has been estimated to be at least one part in a hundred million billion billion billion billion. That would be a ten followed by fifty-three zeroes. That's inconceivably precise. Put it this way. Let's say you were way out in space and were going to throw a dart at random toward Earth. It would be like successfully hitting a bull's eye that's one trillionth of a trillionth of an inch in diameter. That's less than the size of one solitary atom.

When we consider the conditions that go into making our world a suitable place for human habitat, we stand amazed at the intelligence that it demonstrates. We are awed at the God Who could so "fine-tune" our world so as it make it a suitable place for human life. Indeed, ours is a Wonderful World! Only the "fool" would say, "There is no God." He is a fool for the simple reason that he has the same evidence staring him in the face, and still refuses to see God.

Consider the beauty of our world from another standpoint. Most of us think in the concrete rather than the abstract. Consequently something is beautiful, amazing, astonishing or astounding only if we can see it with the eyes. I read about a group of Geography students who studied the Seven Wonders of the World. At the end of that section, the students were asked to list what they each considered to be the Seven Wonders of the World. Though there was some disagreement, the following got the most votes: Egypt's Great Pyramid, the Taj Mahal, the Grand Canyon, the Panama Canal, the Empire State Building, St. Peter's Basilica and China's Great Wall. While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student, a quiet girl, hadn't turned in her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The quiet girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many." The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help." The girl hesitated, then read, "I think the Seven Wonders of the World are...to touch and to taste, to see and to hear . . ." She hesitated a little, "and then to run and to laugh and to love." The more I thought on her answers the more I came to appreciate the value of those things that we can never touch with our hands. Perhaps it would do us good, from time to time, to stop and seriously consider the truly great "wonders" of the world.